Dreaming of Tarin
by Maverick3
Summary: Duo's slow to heal after the death of a loved one...


Dreaming of Tarin

Dreaming of Tarin

****

By: Maverick

Disclaimer: Gundam Wing characters DO NOT belong to me in any way…. But, Tarin does, so, yeah!!

Duo's Gundam slashed out at the mobile suits that had invaded the city. He maneuvered around the buildings that were scattered randomly across the plain.

The thermal scythe put an end to many of Oz's war machines. Duo finished off the few that remained and scanned the area before taking off towards the safe house.

It was late when he returned home. As quietly as he could, he entered the house. He shivered as the lingering fall air, which had entered with him, hit his bare skin that was revealed when he unbuttoned his shirt.

Silently, he fixed himself a cup of tea. He was hoping sleep would come with the soothing herbal drink. Sleep, something he hadn't had in days.

The other pilots had noticed his quietness all too clearly. It worried them, and Duo knew it. He tried to act normal, but found it difficult when he was so sleep deprived.

Usually Duo was fidgety, but, Trowa had often just watched concernedly, as Duo stared at, or more accurately, beyond a white wall.

Heero, being his roommate, had noticed other strange things. Ever since Hilde's death, Heero had watched as Duo spent night after sleepless night looking at pictures of this girl, who *maybe* he loved?

Duo inhaled the spicy scent of the tea. He shivered with warmth. After taking a sip, he set the cup on the table and fiddled with the tablecloth. His thoughts wandered, leaving him still and his eyes glazed as his mind left this world.

Hilde had gotten very close to Duo. She'd found a way into his life and heart. Always protective, always caring...he was never sure if she was more like his girlfriend or sister. Sure he loved her, but, like *that*?

Duo's eyelids felt heavy. Not having the energy to stand and walk to his bedroom, he slowly dropped his head to the table and drifted off to a fitful sleep.

~:~~:~~:~~:~~:~~:~

Duo's next mission brought him to a deserted area. It was cold and wet. He checked his scanners. Nothing. No signs of OZ. /someone's here/

Duo opened the hatch to Deathscythe. He got down and began to wander the woods. A fog blanketed the earth and surrounded his legs up around his shins. With gun in hand, he rushed from tree to tree, searching.

Suddenly, he felt a presence. He turned around and, there behind him, a girl about fifteen stood, clothed only in a tattered shawl that barely covered her white skin.

Her hair was of a dark, dark, blonde and her eyes were gently shut. The fog roved around her bare legs.

Duo's mouth hung open as he was overcome with infatuation for the girl. Her beauty was beyond comparison. He lowered his stance and slowly walked up to her.

As he stood in front of her, both hands holding his gun at waist level, he noticed a shimmer by her eye. He brought a hand up to her face and brushed at the gleam. /a diamond?/ He held the small gem in his hand and looked back at the girl. He saw a tear leak out of her eye and form another precious stone on her cheek.

As he reached up to brush that away too, the girl gently took hold of Duo's hand and pressed something into his palm...

Duo woke with a start, the fragments of the dream fading fast. He looked over at the clock: 4:18 a.m. He'd been asleep for three hours. Slowly, he stood. He picked up his now cold tea and set it in the sink. He then made his way to his bed, the dream now forgotten.

~:~~:~~:~~:~~:~~:~

"No sleep, Duo?'

Duo blinked out of his trance and looked up at Trowa. Slowly, he shook his head. Once again, he held a cup of tea in his hands, only this time it was to keep him alert. He was too tired to work, yet, too tired to sleep. He looked around. Quatre and Heero had gone off on a mission. Trowa and Wufei had agreed to watch Duo, and try to help him to get some sleep. So far, Duo had drunk about a gallon of tea. Realizing that, he stood and rushed to the bathroom.

When he finished, he scanned the bathroom. His eyes rested on the giant bathtub. He slowly turned the water on and watched the steam rise. Adding some relaxation bath salts, he undressed, took the braid out of his hair and let the brown tresses fall to his waist, and stepped into the tub. He gasped at the heat of the water, but soon grew accustomed to it. He washed the previous night's smoke, blood, and sweat out of his hair. Then, he twisted it above his head and soaked in the scented water.

He soon fell asleep, allowing the warm blackness consume him.

Duo was thrust back into his Gundam. He was now in a more densely populated area, mobile suits surrounded him. He fought hard, but could find no way out. His only choice...self-detonation. He reached over and slammed his fist into the button. Much to his surprise, he felt a burning, then nothing as he was flung far from his now destroyed Gundam.

Duo lay where he had landed for a while before realizing that he was alive. He slowly opened his eyes. All he saw was white, then he felt cool hands on his side. He looked over and there was the girl who he'd dreamed about before. 

She still only had a shawl on, but now her eyes were open. They were grayish-blue, and looking at Duo like she had never seen another human before. She reached her hand out and touched his. Duo felt a cold burning that lasted only a moment. He cautiously lifted his hand, but found no pain. He looked at his palm, and saw, imprinted within the lines of his hand, a …

Duo awoke with a start. The bath water around him had lost its scent, along with its warmth.

"Duo?" Wufei knocked on the door, "You ok?"

"Y-yeah!" Duo replied, becoming more awake. He stood and stepped out of the tub. He toweled off then pulled on some boxers. 

When he walked back into the living room, his dream becoming a disappearing mist in his memory, he watched as Wufei and Trowa eyed him with concern. He knew they thought he was depressed…but, he wasn't sure if he was or not.

~:~~:~~:~~:~~:~~:~

Heero and Quatre had returned later that day, and Duo was informed of his upcoming mission. He brightened and rushed to get ready. He felt most "normal" when he was in the cockpit of Deathscythe. At least, ever since…

After he emerged from his room, fully dressed, and ready to go, Heero and Trowa cornered him.

They sat him down on the sofa, and the other two pilots joined the crowd. Their faces were serious.

"Listen, Duo." Quatre began.

/Intervention…/ Duo sat back and half-listened as Quatre laid it on.

"We're really worried about you."

Trowa joined in, "You're not sleeping, you're not eating."

"You're not talking…" Wufei muttered

Quatre nodded "You seem to be taking Hilde's death really hard."

Duo shook his head, "Me? I **am** death!" he smiled, "Why should I take it hard?"

He watched as the other's expressions never changed. He frowned. "I **do** miss Hilde, but, that's not it." He let out a frustrated sigh "I don't know… I don't…It's…it's too hard to explain!" He stood abruptly and stalked past the group, who watched as he walked out the door.

~:~~:~~:~~:~~:~~:~

Duo's only thoughts as he flew his Gundam to the designated mission area, were about his previous conversation with his fellow pilots. /Why can't they understand?/ he questioned /why is it so difficult to explain?/

He finally reached his destination. Positioning his Gundam, he prepared to destroy to OZ base. "It's party time." He pushed the detonator and watched as flames engulfed the buildings.

It didn't take long before mobile suits were there, ready to battle. Duo hadn't enough time to escape.

He fought vigorously, slicing suit after suit with the thermal scythe. As the number dwindled, Duo began to feel a touch of vertigo coming on. He tried to fight it off as he would an enemy, but it only worsened.

After the last mobile suit collapsed, Duo opened the hatch to get some air. /this no sleep is getting to me/ The shock of the cold, damp, air took Duo off balance. He stumbled as his head pounded, and fell.

~:~~:~~:~~:~~:~~:~

Duo awoke what must have been hours later. Slowly he stood checking his balance and reassuring himself of no injuries. He brushed himself off and noticed that a thick blanket of fog that reached almost to his knees covered the ground. Duo made sure that his gun was in hand, and began to walk, not knowing where to go, but just wanting to walk.

He walked further and further from his Gundam, turning in different directions aimlessly. Suddenly, he felt something. A deep feeling, like he wasn't alone. He cautiously turned around, gun primed and ready. The sight though, took him by surprise.

There, sitting within the fog, with one leg bent and the other outstretched, was a young girl, about 15, with pale white skin, and grayish-blue eyes, But, what shocked Duo the most was that all she wore was a tattered piece of cloth that she wrapped tightly around her.

Duo walked slowly up to her. He lowered his gun and as he neared her he felt as if he knew her.

Suddenly the girl looked up and noticed Duo. She stood as the wind picked up, pressing the shawl against the girl's tiny frame. Duo was awestruck by her beauty. He then noticed something was clutched in her grasp, a necklace. **His** necklace. He reached up to his neck and found it bare.

The girl walked toward Duo, her light movements causing ripples in the fog. Silently, she took hold of Duo's hand and pressed the cross/necklace into it. She looked up into his eyes a moment before pain distorted her face and she fell.

Duo caught her before she hit the ground and he knew she needed help. She had no clothes and looked ill. He decided to take her back with him.

"Who is she, Duo?" Trowa asked quietly after Duo had returned early the next morning.

Duo only shook his head as he carried the unconscious girl to a bed. Carefully, he set her down on his own bed. Her body bunched together, giving her the look of a small child's. Duo noticed her shawl next and realized she needed something to wear. He rifled through his own closet and pulled out a large black T-shirt.

Trying not to "violate" the girl, he slipped the shawl off as he put the shirt on the tiny woman. He then covered her with blankets, hoping she would be warm enough. After he was completely satisfied, he returned to the kitchen where four pairs of eyes questioned his actions.

"I found her." Was the only way he knew how to put it. Tiredly, he requested Quatre to ask Relena to bring some clothes for their guest. He then returned to his room and collapsed onto Heero's bed in utter exhaustion, and fell into a deep sleep.

~:~~:~~:~~:~~:~  
For the first time in weeks, Duo awoke, somewhat refreshed. He tried to roll over and return to slumber, but found that impossible. He looked across the room to see two gray-blue eyes looking back at him from underneath the covers.

Duo stood up, and crossed the room to the stranger's bed. He knelt beside it. The girl's eyes disappeared and Duo saw her body scrunch into a ball under the covers.

"What's wrong?" he whispered with concern.

There was a moment of silence before she replied, "I'm frightened."

Duo slowly rolled the covers back, revealing the beautiful face of the girl. He smiled at her. "What's your name?"

The girl only looked up at Duo, not answering. When he realized that he wasn't going to get an answer from her, he started again. "I'm Duo."

He saw the girl relax a little. "My name is Tarin." The girl replied quietly. Duo caught a hint of accent in her voice, but couldn't tell of what kind. He reached out his hand and gently pushed a fallen piece of hair out of her face.

Tarin began to sit up. Her frail body was lost in Duo's black T-shirt.

Duo helped her into a sitting position, "Why are you—" he was cut off when Quatre entered the room.

"Duo you need to….oh." Quatre watched as Tarin's eyes widened with fear and she clung to Duo like a lost child who had just found her mother.

This took duo off guard, he flinched at first, but then wove his hands between her arms and tried to loosen her up, but she didn't let go.

Duo motioned for Quatre to leave, and he obliged, shutting the door behind him.

Tarin still clutched to Duo, and he found it to no avail to try and pull her arms off of him. She wouldn't lift her head from pressing against his chest to hide her face.

"Are you ok?" he whispered.

No answer.

"What are you afraid of?"

Still, no reply.

He now noticed how cold her arms were. Her hair was a mess, and she had traces of dirt on her arms and face. "Maybe you should take a bath."

Tarin didn't answer, so Duo lifted her completely out of the bed and carried her to the bathroom.

The other pilots watched as Duo carried this tiny, pale girl, her arms and face buried by the black shirt Duo had yet to change out of from the night before.

He placed Tarin down by the bathtub, and turned the water on to warm and let the tub fill. 

"I'll let you have some time." he said before turning to leave. Tarin stared at the crystal water, watching it flow into the tub.

Duo left, and, after closing the door behind him, went to join the others.

"Who is she, Duo?" Wufei asked as Duo sat down.

Duo ran his fingers through his tangled tresses. "Her name is Tarin…that's all I know."

The pilots exchanged glances.

'Where did you find her?"

"Why'd you bring her here?"

Trowa and Heero stared intently at Duo, waiting for an answer.

Duo tried patiently to clear his thoughts before he spoke.

"I-I was having some headaches." He explained. "So, after I finished the mission, I got out of Deathscythe, but, I think I blacked out and fell."

The other pilot's eyes beat down on him.

Duo continued.

"I awoke some sometime later, and stood. I felt…I felt something…something weird…so I went to find out what."

Duo swallowed. "I walked for a while before I heard, or felt, or saw something, I can't remember which, so I turned, and there was this girl. She had my crucifix necklace, which I must have dropped. She pressed it into my hand before passing out."

Duo flicked his gaze from the table to the others. Before they could say something, Duo heard a noise.

"The water?" he whispered to himself.

He quickly stood and rushed to the bathroom. Hesitating for only a moment, he flung the door open.

There, still dressed and staring at the water, was Tarin. She hadn't moved.

Duo looked at the water. It was almost ready to overflow, so, he quickly shut it off.

"Why didn't you…" Duo began to scold, but, soon, found no point in it. He still saw fear in the girl's eyes.

"Don't you know how to take a bath?" he asked her quietly.

She looked up at him wordlessly and Duo got his answer.

He shut the door and walked back to Tarin. He hesitated, trying to figure out how to get her to undress so she could bathe.

Finally, he settled on squeezing his eyes shut, lifting the shirt off her head and wrapping a towel around her.

He emptied some of the water out of the tub and added bubbles.

That should cover everything. he thought, pleased with his idea.

He helped Tarin into the bath, and once again looked away so that he could take the towel from her.

Thinking she's sat down, he looked again, but, Tarin was still standing, stark naked.

"oh, uh…" Duo became nervous. He saw Tarin's eyes still blank, not realizing the inappropriateness another girl would have thought this was.

Duo decided he'd have to help her to bathe, whether she was naked or not. He breathed a sigh, and helped Tarin to sit and lay under the bubbly water.

Tarin flinched at the warmth of the water, but, Duo reassured her she would be alright. Her eyes never left him as he washed her.

She's like a small child, Duo sympathized with her Like a small, frail, motherless child.

He picked up the showerhead so he could wash her hair. Tarin's eyes widened with fear as the spray of water came shooting out of it.

Duo held her head, settling her with whispers. She calmed, but fear remained in her eyes as he washed the filth from her dark blond tresses.

When she was clean, Duo helped her to stand, wrapped her up once again to carry her back to his room. He set her on the bed and found an outfit that Relena had sent over.

"You dress while I take a shower." He told her, and left, shutting the door behind him.

Duo washed quickly, but, lingered a while longer in the wonderful heat.

He stepped out, and put on some boxers.

He wound the towel around his head and walked back to his room. He knocked on the door.

No answer.

He slowly opened it and found Tarin still in a towel, clothes beside her on the bed.

Duo felt sorry for the girl. He walked up to her and gently had her stand. The towel dropped to the floor.

"Oh…." Duo found no way around seeing Tarin as he dressed her.

Very carefully, he got her into her clothing: A blue blouse with a long jean skirt.

Duo admitted she looked much better, but her skin was still so pale.

Duo then took a brush and sat Tarin down. He sat beside her and gently began to brush her hair.

It's like silk. Duo commented to himself. 

He ran his fingers through her damp dark tresses. It felt like true silk.

He finished her hair, then dressed himself and braided his own hair.

Her eyes never left his face. Duo thought she looked so tiny, so frightened, so beautiful.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"Tarin," Duo got her attention as she drank a cup of tea.

"Why don't you know how to take care of yourself?"

Tarin's eyes glanced at Duo.

"I was never taught."

Duo was taken by surprise. He hadn't heard her speak since earlier that day. Her voice was soothing, like a soft melody.

Duo watched as she sipped her tea.

"Why not?"

Tarin's eyes looked tired.

"Things are different where I come from."

She continued to drink her tea.

"Is that why you are so scared?"

Tarin nodded. She looked up into Duo's eyes. Her face saddened.

'You've felt much pain."

Duo was startled. He nodded.

"A good friend of mine died."

Tarin's eyes filled with concern.

"How?"

Duo swallowed hard, pulling back memories.

"Cancer," he choked "Six long months of cancer."

Tarin became confused. "Cancer?"

Duo looked up. "it's a sickness. It's hard to fight. Hilde…she….she wasn't strong enough."

Tarin touched Duo's hand.

"You are saddened by her death?"

Duo nodded. "Yes, but, that's not why…"

"Why what?"

Duo took a deep breath. "Hilde loved me, I knew she loved me."

"You're confused?"

"yeah," Duo nodded. "I haven't slept, or eaten, or even talked. Not because of Hilde's death, but because of something that her death left me. A confusion."

Duo stood and left the table, his words lingering in the air.

He went back to his room. He had yet to clean it. The beds were both still unmade and their towels were on the floor.

May as well…

Duo began making Heero's bed. He picked up the towels off the floor and hung them on the door.

As he made his own bed, he came across a glittering on his pillow.

He reached over and plucked it off the soft down. Three small diamonds.

"Why do I remember these?"

He brought them out to the kitchen and held them in front of Tarin.

"These yours?"

Tarin looked at the gems, then up at Duo. She saw his uninterested face.

"You can have them."

Duo shrugged and pocketed the stones.

The door suddenly opened and Heero, Quatre and Wufei entered.

Tarin, not seeing all the others because they had left before she had finished her bath, pushed her chair back and stood, hiding herself behind Duo.

"What's wrong with her?" Heero asked as Duo tried to pull Tarin out from behind him.

Duo explained how Tarin wasn't used to so many people, how frightened she was.

"Tarin," he whispered. "These are some friends.

Tarin began to relax. Still clinging to Duo, she allowed him to mover her in front of him.

"Heero, Quatre and Wufei." He whispered gently into her ear. "They won't hurt you."

As Duo pushed her toward the others, a spasm of pain gripped her.

She jerked violently before falling into Heero's arms.

Heero picked her up and carried her to the sofa. She writhed in pain, twisting to rid her body of it.

"help her!" Duo screamed, panic rising from his stomach.

Heero was about to yell back, when Tarin suddenly stopped convulsing.

Heero checked her pulse. His face gave an odd look.

"She's alive," he stated. Duo heaved a sigh of relief. "But, her heart beat is strange…"

The others gave him curious looks. Quatre pushed through and rested his fingers to Tarin's neck.

He pulled back, astonished. "it's not 'lub-dub lub-dub' it's more like…"

Wufei also check "…a rhythm."

"a pitter-patter."

"a song."

Duo's face was filled with concern.

He had seen that pain her face held the night before. It was so disturbing, he almost could feel it.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ 

Duo had spent the rest of the evening on the adjacent chair, watching Tarin's frail body twitch with her dreams.

He felt the need to protect her. TO keep her form harm.

Duo finally drifted off to a light sleep, filled with dreams too strange for even his mind to handle.

He thrashed his legs and woke Tarin from her daylong slumber. She saw Duo and stood.

Quietly, she walked to his resting-place. Placing a hand on his forehead, she muttered some foreign words:

"tali de kha dem" 

Duo was thrust into a dreamless sleep. The sleep he so desperately needed.

Tarin was now completely exhausted. She strained to pull herself back tot he sofa and immediately fell asleep along with the rest of the household.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Duo showed Tarin how to shower and dress herself. He taught her not to fear other people, even thought Wufei and Trowa still made her gasp when she saw them, but refrained from hiding.

Duo was the one she most trusted. He kept a watchful eye over her, reassuring her everything would be fine.

Duo then began to question Tarin.

"Why are you in so much pain, Tarin?"

Tarin looked away. "I'm fine. Just a little sick."

Duo decided not to push it.

"Where do you come from?"

"Far from here." Her gaze stayed where it was.

"When are you-"

"I can't go back," Tarin interjected. 

Duo realized it was a sore subject. He gave her a smile. "Well, I don't want you to leave just yet anyway."

Tarin looked at Duo, her eyes were sad. It dawned on Duo that he had yet to see her smile.

Tarin continued to have spells, but, she never told Duo anything about them. He himself was feeling better, finding he was sleeping each night. He noticed he slept well when he opened up to Tarin about Hilde.

"Why are you confused?" She had asked him.

Duo shrugged. "I don't know. It's like a black spot. I can't tell what the picture is because of that black spot."

Tarin nodded her head.

"Have you tried writing about it?"

Duo shook his head and looked at Tarin in wonder.

He decided to write Hilde a letter.

This is crazy he thought, but hoped it would lift some stuff off his chest.

He began writing, slowly at first, but soon faster as thoughts poured from his mind onto the paper. Questions he's asked himself came out answered. The black spot was clearing up.

Duo signed the letter and put it in an envelope. He left Tarin in the care of the other pilots as he drove to the cemetery.

He stood next to Hilde's grave, no tears, no words coming from him. He was completely clear on all counts.

Setting the letter comfortably on the head stone, he placed a kiss on his hand and touched the grave, now covered in new grass.

As he drove back, he remembered the pain Hilde had gone through and it dawned on him that Tarin's was similar. Suddenly, he felt the need to rush back and get Tarin to a hospital.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"Mission"

Heero's one word explanation hit Duo like a brick wall.

"Tarin-"

"-is sleeping." Heero turned back to his book. "you must go. Now."

Duo silently retrieved all he needed for the mission and set out, reassuring himself that Tarin could wait a little longer.

Duo went about his mission as normal, maneuvering Deathscythe with experience and enthusiasm.

Duo pressed the detonator and watched as flames engulfed the OZ base.

He turned his Gundam, preparing to take off, when a fleet of Mobile Dolls appeared on his monitor.

"Oh no…" he breathed. The number of dolls was endless.

He fought as hard as he could, straining Deathscythe and himself. But, this battle was to no avail. He couldn't win on his own.

There was no escape. Only nothing to do. self-destruct.

Duo's last thoughts were of Tarin.

"I tried…" he whispered. He then smirked.

"At least I'll take y'all to HELL with me!!!" he shouted before slamming his fist into the self-destruct button and blacking out.

Suddenly, in her sleep, Tarin writhed in pain. The burning flowed through her, but lasted only for a second.

A door flung open and Heero exited to wake the others.

"Duo self-destructed."

They all rushed to try and find, and possibly save, Duo.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Tarin was only semi-Conscious when the Gundam pilots returned with Duo. His blood was everywhere. His face was barely recognizable through all the blood and wounds. It was obvious most of his bones were broken.

The pilots set him on his bed, Heero and Trowa trying to control the bleeding.

Tarin, still in a stupor, had heard the commotion. She tried to get up, but ended up falling out of the bed. She groaned with pain, but continued to crawl toward Duo's bedroom.

Using up most of her energy, she made her way to Duo's bed. The other pilots were bustling around, trying to save their friend.

"Tarin!"

Tarin barely heard Quatre's astonished cry. Everyone backed away, and let her up close to Duo. She lifted herself up to his bedside and placed her hands on his battered face.

Duo felt burning, then nothing. He was dead. His power, his blood was draining. Suddenly, he felt a coolness, a refreshing feeling. He heard whispers…Tarin…She was muttering something.

"Duo…shee a ris te oout…"

The rest was blocked out.

When she finished, he opened his eyes. There was Tarin, kneeling beside him, her never smiling face looking of death.

"Tarin…" he reached for her, but her eyes rolled back and she collapsed.

Trowa lifted Tarin. Her body was so lifeless, her breathing weak and shallow.

The other pilots looked at her in awe. They'd never witnessed such a scene.

The Heavyarms pilot set her on Heero's bed, then turned back to Duo.

"Tarin…" he cried out weakly and pitifully. Wufei and Quatre were bandaging his wounds, now that the bleeding had stopped.

"Look at this" Wufei lifted Duo's hand and revealed his palm. It now had a crucifix burned on it.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Duo awoke with a start. The previous night flickered through his memory.

He looked across the room. Tarin was still sleeping.

Duo cautiously got up, testing his strength. He made his way to Tarin by edging a long the desk. He sat down on the edge of her bed.

Tarin's eyelids flickered open.

"You need to go to the doctor."

"No Duo…" Tarin protested sleepily.

"Tarin, you're sick."

"No…Duo…."

"Tarin!"

"Duo! I'm dying…."

Duo stopped. He looked at Tarin.

"What?"

Tarin's face was grave. "I was dying when you found me."

"Doctor's can-"

"No, they can't"

Duo questioned her.

Tarin desperately wanted to sit up, but found she couldn't.

"You must trust me."

Duo nodded.

Tarin sighed and continued.

"Duo…I'm not really a…a human."

"What?!?"

Tarin's eyes pleaded for Duo's trust.

"I'm a fairy…

Duo backed away, startled.

"A fairy? Like…Tinkerbell or something?"

Tarin's face showed confusion, but she continued.

"A fairy can sometimes take on human forms, but must be careful, for if a fairy is human for too long, she can feel human emotions."

Duo let out an exhausted laugh.

"You felt a human emotion?"

Tarin nodded. "I fell in love."

Duo became serious again.

"But, I was banished from the Fairy Mists, because no human, or human feelings can enter. It was my own death sentence, for I cannot survive without the magic from the Mists."

Duo looked away from Tarin.

"Who did you fall in love with?"

Tarin took Duo's hand weakly.

"You."

Duo jerked his gaze back to her.

"Each night, I would give you some of my magic so you could sleep…so you could heal. **Everything** about me is magical, even my heart."

Duo remembered how Heero, Quatre and Wufei had heard a **song** in her heartbeat. He searched her face for the truth.

"And last night…?"

Tarin nodded. "I gave you almost all of it."

Duo ran his fingers through his hair, sorting everything out.

"So, you gave everything up…" he muttered. "even your life…for me?"

Tarin nodded, her face deathly pale.

Duo began to get frustrated.

"So, you come into my life, allow me to open up, to finally sort everything out, to figure out that I **did** love Hilde, but not as my one true love. To heal me, inside and out, then, you just are going to leave?!?" 

Duo's eyes now pleaded with Tarin's as hers began to fill with tears, and, as they fell, they formed diamonds on her cheeks.

Duo plucked them off and let out a choked laugh. "You cry diamonds."

Tarin touched his cheek.

"You can't die," Duo stated, tears clutching at his throat. "I-I love you."

Tarin's Grey-blue eyes brightened.

"When I wrote that letter to Hilde, I realized that **she** would protect **me**. She was like my sister. But, with you, it was different. I could protect you, as it should be. I couldn't help but fall."

For the first time, Tarin smiled.

Duo had thought, if she ever did, her face would break. But, instead, it made it more beautiful.

Tears flowed form his eyes as he bent down and kissed her. He lifted her frail body and gently embraced her.

"I….I've never felt a kiss before." Tarin half sobbed half laughed.

They stayed like that for a moment before Tarin spoke again.

"When I die," she whispered into Duo's ear. "Scatter my ashes in the place where you found me."

"Why?" Duo asked, choking down the sobs.

"So I can return to my Fairy World."

Duo nodded in agreement.

Tarin's breaths were now short and labored.

She touched his hand and he felt a cool burning. He lifted his palm and noticed the crucifix.

"The dreams." He muttered.

Tarin smiled for the last time, but her face changed quickly when the pain took hold of her chest.

"Never…forget…me…Duo." She muttered between gasps before she went limp.

Duo let the tears fall as he held Tarin's lifeless body.

He finally laid her down on the bed and kissed her cooling lips gently.

Duo grimaced as pain gripped his stomach. His love for Tarin was strange and unique….and could never be replicated.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~

As she wished, Tarin's ashes were spread within the mist. Duo carefully scattered them, and could swear he heard the strange song of her heartbeat, and the words of her strange language being whispered.

He took the diamond tears from his pocket and turned them in his hand. 

"Good bye Tarin." He whispered.

He tossed the gems in the air to fall to the ground, and noticed that they returned to their liquid form before breaking through the fog.

~~Owari~~


End file.
